Maternity-dress.



R. HORWITZ. MATERNITY DRESS APPLICATION FILED JUNE 4. I917.

Patnted Sept. 4, 1917.

earn as an onnne.

RAY HOR'WITZ, OF CLEVELAND, OHIO.

MATERNITY-DRESS.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, RAY Honwrrz, a citizen of the United States, residing at Cleveland, in the county of Cuyahoga and State of Ohio, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Maternity-Dresses, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

The object of this invention is to provide a maternity dress which may be of smart and beautiful appearance, and which will preserve its beauty and smartness as the waist portion thereof is progressively enlarged, as circumstances require. a

The invention consists in the construction and combination of parts shown in the drawings and hereinafter described and pointed out definitely in the appended claims.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective view of a dress which embodies the invention when the sash thereof is tied in place to conceal the mechanical construction; Fig. 2 is a similar view when the sash is untied; Fig. 3 is a perspective view of that part of the dress in which the invention is embodied. Fig. 4: is an elevation partly sectioned of the elastic waist band of the dress. Fig. 5 is a sectional plan of aportion of the elastic waist band attached to the dress, I. and Fig. 6 is a horizontal sectional view at the waist line.

The dress consists of a waist 10, and a skirt 15 sewed thereto. Both the waist and skirt, at their connected edges, are gathered, as shown. An elastic waist band 20 is secured over the connecting seam, by having its upper edge stitched to the waist and its lower edge to the skirt. This elastic waist band is a cloth tube 21 containing one or more elastic bands 22.

Within the dress and extending across the waist band thereof is a girdle 30. This is made of pieces, preferably three pieces, of inelastic webbing. The back piece 30 is connected with the adjacent front pieces 30,

30, by lacing 25, whereby the length of the girdle may be enlarged as required. The two front members of the girdle are provided at their meeting edges in the middle of the front of the dress by hooks and eyes, or other equivalent fastening devices.

The elastic waist band is stitched to the back portion of the girdle member 30, and extends therefrom outside of the girdle in a stretched condition, and is then stitched to Specification of Letters Patent' Application filed June 4, 1917. Serial No. 172,608.

the two front girdle members near their front meeting edges. Preferably also snap fasteners 24 are used to connect the elastic waist band to the two front girdle members at points about midway between the ends of the said girdle members. It is evident, therefore, that the elastic waist band will contract the dress against the girdle between the above mentioned points of connection with the girdle, however much the girdle may be extended by widening the laced gaps between the pieces thereof. In fact, externally, the dress will have, at the waist line, substantially the same gathered appearance whether the girdle be large or small.

The waist opens in front, and at a point adjacent the meeting ends of the girdle members 30 30. The skirt is also opened at the front, but a little to one side of the meeting edges of said girdle members, said opening 16 extending downward for a suitable distance. A free flap portion 17 of the skirt projects beyond the end of the girdle to which it is attached, substantially as shown in Fig. 3; and this free flap carries at its ends, attached to the inside of the elastic waist band, one of the members of a snap fastening device, the other of which will be fastened at a suitable point to the elastic waist band which overlies the other front girdle member.

I-Iaving described my invention, I claim 1. In a maternity dress, the combination of a waist and a skirt connected thereto, said skirt and waist being gathered at the waist line thereof, an elastic waist-band secured to and extending around the dress at the waist line, an extensible girdle within said dress at the waist line, which girdle is composed of a plurality of sections of which two sections meet at the front of the dress and are provided with fastening devices, and the other sections are connected together by extensible lacings,-said elastic waist band being disconnected from the girdle at and adjacent the laced gaps between girdle sections, and being connected to said girdle sections at intermediate points, substantially as specified.

2. In a maternity dress, the combination of a waist and a skirt connected thereto, said skirt and waist being gathered at the waist line thereof, an elastic waistband secured to and extending around the dress at the waist line, an extensible girdle within said dress at the waist line, which girdle is comtions which are connected respectively with the ends of the back girdle section by extensible lacing the front ends of said f-ront girdle section being provided with fasteningdevices, and the cxtensible'waist band being connected with the front girdle sections adjacent the front ends thereof and be lng disconnected from said front girdle scc-" tions adjacent the rear ends thereof.

3. In a maternity dress, the combination of a waist and a skirt connected thereto,- said skirt and waist being gathered at the waist line thereof, an elastic waist-band secured to and extending around the'dress at the waist line, an extensible girdle Within said dress at the waist line, which girdle is composed of a back section that is connected with the elastic waist-band near thennddle ofnsaid girdle section, and is disconnected from said waist band adjacent the ends of 'saidba'ck girdle section, and two front sections which are connected respectively with the ends of the back girdle section by eX- tensible lacings,the front ends of said front girdle section being provided With fastening devices, and the extensible Waist band being connected with the front girdle sections adjacent the front ends thereof and being disconnected from said front girdle sections adjacent the rear ends thereof,-the

skirt of said dress with the extensible Waist band attached thereto being extended as a *free flap beyond the front end-ofone of the my signature. 1 j

RAY HORWVITZ.

. Copies of this patent maybe obtained for five centstach, by addressing the "Commissioner o t-I'atenh Washington; D. c. 

